The Adventures of Soap Boy

Part 9: Company

For the first time in a while, I left my dreams of my own accord. The comfort of sleep was great, but there was a lot that needed to be done. I stirred awake, just to regret doing so immediately. It was still long before sunrise, and I wasn't the type of guy who could just go right back to sleep. Once I was up, I stayed up.

I rolled out of bed, staying quiet so that I wouldn't disturb Vera, who was sleeping on a chair right next to my cot.

Normally, I would be worried about somebody sitting in a wooden chair to sleep, but Vera was an exception. After all, there was no way she was going to develop back problems, or even aches and pains, from doing so.

Sneakily, I left the room. Once the curtain was pulled shut behind me, I began to stretch my legs by roaming the hospital tents. Even when the sky was still dark, there was a fair bit of hustle and bustle about the place. If anything, it was even more busy. I had to be careful not to get in the way of rushing nurses as I made my way through the center of the complex.

After a little bit of walking around, I found what I was looking for. The food storage. Yesterday, Alejandra had determined that I was good to at least try heavier foods again, and I was feeling very hungry. So I raided the fridge.

After looking around for a bit, I got a banana. While I was feeling more confident in my dining ability, I definitely didn't want to push it. So long as I could eat something solid, I would prove what I needed to.

An hour passed after my meal, and I actually felt much better. That had to be a good sign. As the sun finally crested the horizon, I heard a commotion from elsewhere in the complex. I got up and started making my way towards it to investigate, but the commotion ended up coming to me.

"There you are!" Vera yelled out as she sprinted my way. "You're not supposed to be wandering around on your own!"

"It's fine. I just went to the kitchen."

"That's literally the worst place you could have been." She said, as she finally came upon my position. She took a glance into the room I had just been in and a look of horror crossed her expression.

"You ate something without supervision!" She yelled, hurting my ears in the process.

"It's fine. I ate it a while ago, and I feel fine." I explained.

"No. It's not fine. We're going to see Alejandra." As she said that, she took my hand and started walking. We passed through the halls at a brusque pace, but stopped at the reception. Vera requested a chair, and one was rolled out.

"Vera, we just speed-walked twice the distance to the wagon." I said flatly. In response, she pointed at the chair.

"Now."

Well, she was mad. I got into the chair, and she pushed me a whole 20 meters before cutting the line into the vendor. As soon as we passed the entrance, the people sitting at my usual spot at the counter got up and left. It seemed that spot was just mine now. Despite my protests, Vera insisted upon helping me onto the stool.

"Ah, my favorite customer..." Alejandra greeted me, leaving an opening for some reason. It took me a moment to realize, but I had never introduced myself to her.

"Soap Boy." I said.

"Soap Boy! Back for more soup, or something more adventurous?" She asked. Before I could answer her question, Vera interrupted me.

"He ate something when nobody was looking." She said, a certain frantic tone to her voice. It reminded me of my mother when I scraped my knee. As soon as Vera finished her announcement, Alejandra took up a very serious demeanor.